MAHMUDIA WETLAND (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Wildlife conservation organisation World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has urged the Romanian government to classify Mahmudia wetland as a ‘national interest ecological restoration area’ to protect its natural progress and foster community prosperity.

World Wide Fund  for Nature (WWF)

• Established: In 1961 
• Headquarter: In Gland, Switzerland.
• Previously known as the: World Wildlife Fund
• Mission: WWF's mission is to halt the degradation of the planet's natural environment and create a future in which humans coexist harmoniously with nature.
• Global Reach: The world's largest conservation organization, boasting over five million supporters across 100 countries.

Mahmudia Wetland

• Location: Mahmudia is positioned along the southernmost canal of the Danube Delta, where the renowned river meets the Black Sea.
• Danube River: It holds the title of the most international river globally, traversing or serving as a border for ten countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. 

oIt also connects four capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade.

• Formation of the Danube Delta: The Delta is shaped around the three principal channels of the Danube, named after the ports they lead to: Chilia (in the north), Sulina (in the middle), and Sfantu Gheorghe (in the south).